My Life As A Tragedy
by elixb
Summary: Fallon Carrington was never an easy child. Never the less her parents allowed her to move to LA and adopt the alias of Jade West. But enough was enough. When Jade finally snaps it leads to a cataclysmic chain of events that spark the beginning of her downfall. Follow Jade as she struggles to run from the past and hide from her future. Features kidnapping and murder.
1. Cat Piss and Credit Card Problems

Fallon J M Carrington. A beautiful little girl with her father's looks and her mother's vindictive spirit. The world would fall at her feet one day. But to get to heaven, one first had to crawl through the pits of hell.

[0o0o0]

"She got the lead AGAIN?!" Jade stomped her foot in a fierce rage. Sikowitz cowered away and bolted for the door whilst Tori stood awkwardly to the side. Beck tried to grab his girlfriend but she shoved him away, walking backwards towards the exit with her hands raised in mock surrender. "I give up. I'm done. Miss Perfect here comes into this school and tries to take my boyfriend, then she takes all my solos and now she's taking all my roles. It's ridiculous but everyone's heads are too far up their own asses to see it."

She kicked a chair to the side and felt some small satisfaction at the legs folding inwards. "Babe, you're overreacting. Look, maybe Tori did a better audition than you." Clearly Beck said the wrong thing.

"Oh yeah, take her side. Why don't you just break up with me huh? You know I'm better than her, you know it!" She shot Beck a reproachful glare and stormed away, making sure to slam the door hard on her way out. Beck just sighed and ran his hand through his hair, tired of the constant arguing that came with trying to be with her.

He imagined he'd be seeing her later waiting in his RV. They'd both murmur their apologies and move on past the whole thing, maybe talk it out a little first. Well that was his first sign he'd overstepped when she wasn't waiting. He'd returned home and dumped his bags, expecting a sulking brunette on his bed. That wasn't the case. She'd actually decided to go home and that worried him, prompting him into sending the first text.

She'd driven off angrily. Even Beck couldn't see past the charm of little miss perfect Vega. So maybe she was a good singer, and maybe she was ok at acting but Jade was better. She knew she was! She had the Broadway album to show for it. Little miss prissy didn't have a Broadway album. Jade would bet that she'd never even been in a production that wasn't from the school. All the bitterness inside of her made her turn her car away from the main route home and into a more shadier neighbourhood.

She needed something and she knew exactly where to get her hands on it. The car pulled up outside of a shoddy motel. The thing was rundown with peeling paint and flickering bulbs. The stairs creaked with every step and the grimy glass windows dully reflected her face in the dying daylight. She knocked on the last door, already hearing voices inside.

There was soft shuffling and a heavy thudding, the sound Jade identified as a duffel being shoved behind the vent grate, before the door opened a slight crack. A red veined eye regarded her warily before recognition seeped in and the door slammed shut. The metal lock slid off and the door reopened wider, allowing her entrance.

The room was small, a tiny kitchenette with two twin beds and a tv on the wall. The bathroom lay off to the side and Jade had to make her way slowly across the floor, taking care not to trip on any of the empty bottles and cans littering the carpet. Mould crept along the ceiling and water stains ran down the walls in unpleasant patterns. The room smelt of damp and mildew along with the faint whiff of body odour and cat piss. A silver lighter was tossed carelessly on the rumpled bed sheets.

Jade turned to the man curiously. "You've got company?"

"Only the usual sweetheart." She span towards the bathroom. Ryder Daniels stood leaning against the doorframe drying his hands with the towel before casually tossing it behind him.

"Ah of course, I forgot you also had a rat problem." The man chuckled.

"Play nice you two. I'm guessing you haven't just come here for a friendly chat have you Jade?" Jade pursed her lips and dropped her bag. She shrugged off her jacket and handed over a twenty.

"It's been a long day Jake." She said in response to his questioning glance. He nodded in understanding and handed over a ready rolled joint and a tinted bottle that sloshed with an amber liquid. She accepted both gratefully and flicked the lighter with well practised ease.

"Let me guess, either your boyfriend or Vega." Ryder slouched next to her and swigged from the bottle. Jade laughed without humour.

"Try both. The fucking princess just had to come and ruin everything."

"Hear hear." They clinked their drinks together before Jade took a slow drag from the cigarette. She let it out again in a fancy wave, the tension easing from her shoulders as she let the drug take affect. "You know I'm always up for meaningless sex if it'll help you let out your frustrations." Jade smacked Ryder in the shoulder.

"That was one time Daniels. One time. Besides, we were drunk and high and I was single. Beck and I are together again."

"For now." She shot him a glare to which he only smirked.

"C'mon Jade, have a bit of fun. I'm open to a threesome." Both Ryder and Jade vehemently shook their heads at Jake.

"I'm 17 for fucks sake. That's illegal." Jake snorted.

"Yeah, cos that's the thing I'm most worried about." He said, gesturing to the smoking bud she'd just stubbed on the bedside table.

"Whatever. I should go, let you two have your fun." Ryder scrunched his nose in disgust whilst Jake prepped a line of coke. Jade grabbed her coat and bag before making her way back to the door. "I guess I'll see you around."

"Door's always open babe." She kicked Jake on the way past and snagged a can. She tugged the handle twice to get the door to unstick, before leaving the dingy motel room and heading down to her car.

Night had fallen and the only text she'd received was from Beck asking where she was. Her anger from earlier briefly simmered beneath her skin before the guilt of her habit quashed it. She couldn't go to his tonight, not when she smelt like weed and alcohol. Tomorrow they'd make up.

The housekeeper was waiting for her in the foyer. Her hands were twisted together nervously and she bowed her head slightly as Jade swept through the door, dumping her keys and coat on the decorative table. "Your uncle's expecting you in the study." Jade couldn't care less. However, if she was stuck living with them until graduation she might as well play nice.

George West was a proud man. His job as head of LAs biggest law firm allowing for quite the luxurious life. His gray hair was cropped neatly and his charcoal business suit exuded an aura of control and sophistication. He puffed on a Cuban cigar, a gift from his once brother in law for looking after his daughter, whilst he waited for his troublesome neice. Her scowl darkened the already dim room and her boots stomped loudly against the wooden floors.

"Jadelyn how many times have I told you to KNOCK, before you come in." She only rolled her eyes, a habit that infuriated the older man. "At least show some respect for others if not for yourself." He said, eyeing her piercings with distaste. Again she ignored him, slinging her feet up on the desk as she flopped into one of the chairs. He could feel one of his eyes twitch. "Where have you been?"

"Out." He frowned at the surly attitude.

"You haven't been with that boy again have you? You're going straight back to your father if you're knocked up." She scowled fiercely and narrowed her eyes.

"For you information, no I haven't been with him. I've just been out." She removed her feet and stood up, ready to leave. As she did so, George caught the faint whiff of cat piss, a smell he recognised all too much from his late wife. Anger surged through him and he leant over and grabbed her wrist sharply.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO!" She let out a sound of shock as he towered above her. She flinched back as he raised his hand to strike her. "YOU SMOKE THAT SHIT? DO YOU?!" She wrenched her arm free and shook her head. Hatred clouded his judgement and he smacked her hard. Her head whipped to the side and the crack echoed through the room. The housekeeper on the other side of the door put her hand to her mouth, appalled.

"DON'T YOU LIE TO ME! THIS SHIT KILLED YOUR AUNT!"

"NO YOU DID!" Another smack, harder this time that caused hot tears to dribble down Jade's cheek. She reached a hand up to cover the stinging flesh, the whole left side of her face throbbing. Her aunt had been so depressed that she'd taken her own life. Freshman year, Jade had come home and found her dead in the bathtub with her wrists slit and a suicide note on the bedside table. Her uncle blamed the drugs instead of the unhappy marriage.

"Get out. GET OUT!" He grabbed the back of her jacket and roughly shoved her towards the door. He would never properly hurt her but right now he was pretty close. She tripped down the front steps of the house and landed painfully on the gravel. The housekeeper, Emma, rushed to help her up but was stopped by Jade's uncle. He slammed the front door and audibly locked it. She'd have to find somewhere else to sleep for the night.

Her keys and coat were still on the table so she couldn't even drive anywhere. The closest person to her was Robbie but that was never going to happen. Beck was on the other side of the city so no chance. Cat's it would have to be. She tugged her jacket tighter around herself, now completely sober in the frigid air.

As expected Cat was thrilled to have her. She was so excited for their sleepover and her parents were just happy that Cat was happy. They'd known Jade ever since she and Cat starred together on Broadway in the musical 13. Jade had formed a close bond with the bouncy girl ever since she scared off the girls who bullied her backstage. For that, Cat's parents were eternally grateful.

Unfortunately Jade didn't have anything to change into and Cat wanted to do a Slap video. She fed Cat some bullshit lie about her house being fumigated because of roaches or whatever, and let the red head take over the rest of the video. Cat was stubborn though and was determined to get Jade to tell the bed time story. She tried her hardest to ruin it (pedophile on parole for vandalising a gas station, crushing the bunny, cramps, etc) but Cat was adamant that Blotis would get her happily ever after.

After the awful bedtime story came the interesting escapades of Frankie, Cat's brother. For some reason he was obsessed with Jade and every time, without fail, he would try and steal a piece of her clothing. Apparently he'd liked her ever since he found her butterfly collection. Anyway, Jade made Cat lock her bedroom door and finally, finally fell asleep.

Unfortunately morning came too soon. First, Cat tried to jump on her to wake her up. Jade panicked and tackled Cat to the side, then when she was scolding Cat she found out the whole thing was being live streamed to the Slap because Cat wanted to tell her a stupid joke. She wasn't in the mood, especially when she saw Frankie wearing her bra. Instead she played along and pretended that Cat was hilarious. When Cat realised she'd been duped she refused to speak to Jade and the car ride to school was filled with an uncomfortable silence.

Thankfully though, Frankie's collection of Jade's clothes meant she'd scraped together another outfit to avoid suspicion in school. She really couldn't deal with Beck right now.

The day dragged on as usual, Sikowitz favouring Vega, Beck flirting with other girls, Cat forgetting the feud between them. It was all so mundane and boring, like nothing had even happened. It was senior year so the workload mounted but that wasn't the only problem. At lunch George called her. She took the conversation to the janitors closest to avoid curious ears.

"What the hell do you want?" She hissed, checking behind the garbage cans to make sure no one was lurking.

"I wanted to apologise. We both acted rashly last night and I want you to come home." Jade perched on an upturned waste basket. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at nothing in particular.

"Why?"

"We'll discuss this later when you get home."

"You're assuming that I'm coming home." She heard him scoff on the other end.

"You have nowhere else to go, no one will take you in." She glared at the wall and kicked the cleaning caddy viciously. The tray overturned and sent the spray bottles skidding across the floor. Her uncle made a sound of disapproval. "Just get your ass here after school or I'm sending you back to your father's." She narrowed her eyes.

"You wouldn't."

"Don't test me Jadelyn. I'll see you at 4." With that he hung up and left her stewing in her own anger.

[0o0o0]

True to his word, he was waiting in his office for her at exactly 4pm. Not that she turned up until twenty minutes later. The housekeeper held the door open for her and eyed the troublesome girl with an expression of sympathy and pity. Jade hardly spared her a glance, clucking her tongue in disgust at the obvious display of emotions. She and her uncle shared much of the same traits, a fact which both parties adamantly ignored. Emma wondered idly on whether she should retrieve the first aid kit incase things got out of hand.

Inside the study the atmosphere was tense. Jade was half tempted to keep the door open, should George decide to strike her again. She refused to think of him as uncle in a time like this.

He was the first to break the gaze, his eyes moving swiftly to the chair in front of his desk as his hand gestured for her to sit. She did so reluctantly, but only after he had lowered himself first. "I want you to be honest with me." Jade couldn't help the little huff that escaped her. George eyed her sharply before continuing.

"Have you ever done that before?"

Jade took a moment to mull over his question. That moment was all he needed to come to an answer. "Ok." He leant back in his chair and pressed his fingertips together, his thin lips pursed together as he contemplated what to do. Jade waited warily, knowing she was in trouble but deciding not to push him further.

The fire crackled in the grate behind them and dimly reflected in the bottle of port sat on George's desk. He seemed to half nod to himself as he came to a conclusion and eyed his pale neice. Her piercings shone in the low light and only strengthened his resolve.

"I'm cutting you off."

"WHAT!" Jade sat up in her chair. Her posture shot from slouched to rigid within seconds as she comprehended George's words. From in the entrance hall Emma winced. She quickly scurried off to the kitchen to avoid hearing anything more.

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Jade was now on her feet, her hands planted against the desk as she towered over George. He simply relaxed back in his chair, his face calm and calculating.

"I think you'll find my dear that I can. When your father signed custody over to me he left me the complete control over your bank account. Every month he diligently pays the child support but with your accounts frozen they will automatically be rerouted into my own account. Before you kick up a fuss you should know that I've already attended to the matter and have been given the authority to temporarily suspend your accounts on the basis of misuse. If you wish to contest that then by all means, please get the police involved. I'm sure they'd be curious as to what misuse means."

He smirked in satisfaction as he watched his niece grapple for words. It wasn't too often she was rendered speechless.

She finally managed to pull herself together. "Why?" It was so simple but it held so much weight. She couldn't understand why her uncle was being so cruel. Sure she'd made one tiny mistake but if her uncle's words were anything to go by this had been in motion for quite some time.

She'd shrunk back into her seat whilst he'd explained the mechanics of his punishment and now he leant over towards her, revelling in the look of loss and confusion on her face.

"Because ever since you got here you've been an ungrateful brat. You turned my wife to drugs and forced her into an early grave. You filled my daughter's head with useless dreams and turned my son against me. You tore this family apart and had the audacity to believe that you had nothing to do with any of it. You're a spoilt child who's only future is on the pole of a seedy strip club. Your father doesn't love you and you're only here because the money he provides makes up for your worthless nuisance."

He was becoming more and more angry. The years of hatred and resentment making themselves present in words carefully crafted to tear through Jade's defences. As she curled into herself more and more, he fanned his flames of rage and grew with each spark of bitter animosity.

"You want to know what I found in your bag last night?" He was working himself up a storm and Jade suddenly felt fear like she'd never felt before.

He brandished the can she'd picked up on the way out of Jake's, still capped and full. He slammed it between them and leant real close to her. So close that they were almost nose to nose. She wished she could pick up the slight whiff of port, or whiskey, or any sort of alcohol, anything that would tell her that he wasn't in his right mind. There was nothing. Everything he was saying was something he truly believed in and felt. That hurt Jade more than anything and the trepidation she felt during the phone call increased by ten fold.

"So this is how you waste your money. This is how you waste MY money!" He had yet to fully raise his voice at her but the cold quiet tone was far more chilling. "I think it's time you find out how truly pampered you are. This will teach you about being an ungrateful brat. I expect you to pay full board starting from tonight."

Jade's mouth dropped open. "WHAT!" She managed to recover her voice and suddenly rage settled in. She lost her fear and turned her desperation into anger. "So, not only are you taking my money you're also kicking me out?!"

George just smiled wryly in response. "I suggest you get a job little girl, maybe think back to my earlier predictions." She flushed scarlet in both shame and rage, her fists clenched so tightly they were beginning to blossom purple.

"I'll get you back for this." She vowed. She would not be cheated and humiliated by this man. She would get pay back and he would regret ever opening his mouth.

He only chuckled to himself as she stormed out of the study and slammed the door so hard a stress fracture appeared on the wall. "I expect you to pay for that!" He called. All he got in response was the banging of the front door and the revving of her engine as she drove off.

**_Review_**


	2. Stroke of Luck

The nerve of that man! Jade couldn't even begin to comprehend what was running through his head. How dare he cut her off! After all her father had done for him! She knew she wasn't exactly an easy child but cutting her off was way too extreme.

Her car swerved down the road. She wasn't in a good mood and her tyres paid the price for it. They screeched along the tarmac and caused the scent of burning rubber to fill the air.

Somewhere to her right her phone vibrated. The dim glow of her screen made its way through the lining of her bag and distracted Jade from the upcoming stop sign. She only just managed to slam on the brakes and the truck driver crossing in front of her flipped her the bird. She sent one right back and accelerated forwards, haphazardly pulling up by someone's drive. One of the back tyres span listlessly in the air whilst the other three rested unstably on the sidewalk.

Jade fished through her purse until she found the stupid machine. Her anger only increased when she saw her little cousin's contact blaring on her lock screen. "What do you want squirt?" She heard him huff on the other end.

"Hello to you too sis. Soccer practise just ended and I was hoping you could come pick me up." Jade forced herself to take a deep breath before answering.

"Why can't your dad pick you up Jay?"

"Your dad? Did you and dad fight again?" Jade forced herself not to answer. Jay had spent most of his life believing he had two sisters. She wasn't going to ruin that for him now.

"I'll be there soon ok bud?" She heard him shuffling in the background and plonking something on a bench.

"Sure. Just get here soon it's freezing." She scowled.

"Watch it or I'll leave your ass to freeze there all night." She heard him grumble under his breath and managed a small quirk of the lips before hanging up and slowly reversing her car off of the sidewalk, leaving skid marks in her wake.

[0o0o0]

When Jade pulled up at the Hollywood Young Achievers Middle School she was considerably calmer. Screaming at a bunch of idiotic drivers was very therapeutic. Her anger hadn't disappeared though and returned full force when she noticed the empty bench.

Her cousin's kit was still there but the kid in question was no where to be found. Jade turned off the engine and exited the car, making sure to lock it behind her. The sounds of scuffling came from behind the school cafeteria, the dumpster echoing loudly as something was kicked against it. Jade had a feeling she knew who was acting as the garbage.

Sure enough when she rounded the corner she was greeted with the sight of a couple of older boys rough housing her younger cousin. He saw her through the knot of their limbs and cried out. "Jade! Help me!" His tiny prepubescent voice was lost in the clamour of the older boys.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Two of the boys were in the process of throwing Jay into the dumpster and dropped him in surprise. His body made a thump as it hit the rusty metal and he made a small noise of pain. Jade turned on the bullies with fire in her eyes. "Get away from him NOW!" They scrambled away from her temper but because all of them were much smaller than her, Jade managed to grab one of them by the back of his jacket. He looked to be the leader and Jade slammed him against the school wall. "Leave my brother the fuck alone or else I'll cut you all into a thousand tiny pieces and feed you to the ducks. No one will ever find your bodies." She whipped her scissors out of her pocket and set them near the boy's head with a smirk.

The scissors made a satisfying _schnip _sound as she opened and closed them very slowly, letting the dying sunlight glint off of the shiny metal. They boy in front of her was practically trembling in fear and so with one last glare Jade dropped him to the floor. He tripped his way over to his posse and huddled between them. Jade lunged forwards with a hiss and the group scattered like dandelion seeds in the wind.

Once they were out of sight Jade leant over the dumpster lip to help haul out Jay. His skinny little twig arms clutched at her jacket as she heaved him out and placed him back on the concrete. She wrinkled her nose at the smell coming from him and briskly moved back to the car.

When Jay closed the passenger door and Jade started driving him home, she turned to stare at him. He fidgeted uncomfortably. "How long?" He laced his fingers together and nibbled the bottom of his lip.

"Not long." She raised an unamused eyebrow.

"How long, Jay?" He hugged his soccer kit whilst Jade drummed her finger against the steering wheel.

"A couple of months." Jade nodded, silently fuming.

"If they give you any more trouble you come straight to me ok? You hear me squirt, I'll show them what real fear is." Jay smiled to himself. His sis was really mean and scary looking but she was also a huge softie. He didn't dare voice his thoughts aloud.

Instead he asked, "did you mean what you said? About feeding them to the ducks?" Jade nodded, smirking to herself at the memory of the boy's eyes widening in fear. "But you hate ducks." Jay frowned in confusion. Jade just sighed.

"Look Jay, life can be really crap sometimes and the people you think you know can turn around and hurt you so suddenly you wonder why you didn't see it before. I don't want you to have to go through that and I don't want you to become one of those crappy people." Jay silently reprimanded her for her use of bad words but let it go when what she said started to sink in.

"Did you and Beck break up again?" When Beck broke his sister Jay had been so angry he'd personally given Beck a call. Unfortunately Beck had sounded more amused than anything, even going so far as to call him "little man".

Jade shook her head. "Nah squirt. He wouldn't dare, not after your man talk." She grinned, remembering Beck's confused voice mail he left on her phone at 3am two weeks after they broke up. It took him another couple of months for him to grow the balls to ask her out again.

Jay slumped in his seat, relieved. He liked Beck, even if he could be a jerk.

They pulled up at the front of the house and Jay unclipped his seatbelt before Jade had even finished moving. "I'll pick you up on Thurday for math club ok squirt?" Jay frowned.

"Why aren't you coming in?" His bottom lip wobbled. "You're leaving us? Like Laura did?" His eyes filled with tears and Jade groaned loudly. Laura was the eldest and had recently set up her own fashion branch. The business kept her away from the family, not that Jade was complaining Laura reminded her way too much of Tori.

"Fine. I'll come in." She slammed her car door shut and trailed in after a bouncing Jay. Emma smiled at the pair as they traipsed in but George, who had left his study at the sound of the car, merely scowled disapprovingly.

"You're back." His tone was stiff and unwelcoming, causing a scowl to darken Jade's face.

"Surprise." She bit out. Jay looked between the two with a crestfallen expression.

"Daddy I managed to score today! Coach said I was very good, he said I could even play nationals one day if I kept it up." A muscle twitched in George's face.

"He did did he?" Jay nodded enthusiastically, missing Jade's frantic shake of the head. "Well let me tell you something son, you're never going to play nationals. You're going to go to a good school with the finest education. You're going to enroll in an Ivy League college and get a steady, worthwhile job. I don't even care if it's not law, be a doctor if you want. But you will not, I repeat, not be investing your time in a wasteful fantasy. Look at Jade as an example, a complete failure."

Tears dribbled down Jay's cheeks and Jade felt a surge of hatred rise within her. The rage that had been simmering since their last fight now broke the surface. "Jay, you can be whatever you want to be. Do whatever makes you happy and when I'm rich and famous you can come live with me and be a huge successful soccer champ. Ok squirt? Go and give Emma your kit whilst _dad _and I have a word." Jay nodded, wiping his eyes on his muddy sleeve and running off towards the kitchen whilst Emma hastily followed him.

"How dare you-"

"No! How dare you?! He just wants to be happy is that too much to ask? You're his father, making him happy should be your top priority. Do you know he gets bullied? That kids pick on him and tease him because he's so academically inclined? Did you know that sports is his favourite thing to do and that his coach isn't even exaggerating about him going big? Maybe if you turned up to a game every once in a while you would understand how important this is to him. You hate me? That's fine, just don't take it out on Jay."

There was a moment of silence filled only with Jade's heavy breathing as she worked through the anger and finished spitting her rant out at her stubborn uncle. His face had slowly changed from a light red to a deep plum and the hand at his side was twitching spastically.

"Get out. Get out of my house and never come back. You're no longer welcome here and if I see you anywhere near Jay I'm calling the police!"

"I was leaving anyway!" Jade turned on her heel and threw open the front doors, once again banished from her house. As she turned to cast one more reproachful glare she caught sight of a brown mop of hair peeking from behind the large ornamental vase. She realised with a sinking feeling that Jay had just witnessed her being disowned.

Scowling at how unfair her life is, Jade hopped in her car and once again drove the familiar route to Beck's RV. Right now she just needed a lengthy session of the Scissoring whilst being snuggled in Beck's bed.

[0o0o0]

Jade didn't hear from anyone from her uncle's house until two weeks later when Emma was picking her up from the police station.

It started off like any other day, waking up in Beck's bed with the boy himself presenting her with coffee. They drove to school, made out, said something or other to their friends, insulted Robbie or Tori and went to lessons. However, coming out of Sikowitz's Jade was grumpier than usual. Beck had pulled her aside to convince her to tell him what was wrong whilst the others went on ahead.

"I got laid off yesterday."

"What?" Beck knew Jade had been waitressing but he didn't realise she'd been fired. "Why?"

Jade looked down at her feet before mumbling quietly, "I stole from the cash register." Beck stared at her in shock. "Don't worry I returned it, I felt so bad but it's Jays birthday soon and I have no money to get him anything."

"If you returned it then why were you fired?"

"Because I stole it in the first place. He promised he wouldn't call the cops because I returned it but he said he could only have employers that he trusted. It makes sense it just sucks." Beck folded her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

"You know you could've come to me?"

"But-"

"No buts. I want to help."

"You've done so much already." Jade hated being in debt to people and Beck was always doing nice things for her which she felt she couldn't reciprocate. "Let's just get to lunch before all the good food is gone." They left the classroom together with Beck's arm looped around Jade's waist

Outside the gang spotted Tori's dad chatting with Lane. "Dad?" Mr Vega looked up at the sound of his name and smiled as he spotted his youngest.

"Hey Tori." He wrapped his arms around her in a hug whilst the rest of the gang stood behind her. Cat giggled.

"Have I got an appointment or something? Is mom ok? Is Trina?" Mr Vega moved his hands in a soothing motion.

"Your mom and Trina are fine. Well, as fine as Trina can be." Robbie let out a cackle which made everyone jump. Mr Vega continued. "I'm not here for you actually. I'm here on police business we're just waiting for someone. Ah, there she is." They all whipped their heads around to see Jade and Beck striding down the corridor.

"Jade?" They all said disbelievingly.

Jade's head whipped up and she paled at the sight of the officer. Beck rubbed her arm reassuringly as they joined their friends. "Hey guys, what's going on here?" Mr Vega smiled awkwardly.

"Jade I'm really sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to come to the station for me. Nothing serious, just a couple of boys claim a mean vampire looking girl threatened to kill them. Their parents are understandably concerned." Jade scowled.

"So because some stupid little snot nosed idiots describe a vampire girl I'm suddenly a suspect? Bias much. I blame you Vega." She turned to glare at Tori who held her hands up in surrender. Mr Vega pushed his daughter behind him.

"They also described her as having coloured streaks and holding a pair of scissors to one of the boys throats. All I'm asking is for you to come down to the station and participate in a line up."

"Anyone could have scissors." Mr Vega sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Beck shuffled nervously besides Jade.

"Babe, maybe you should just do as the policeman says ok?" She turned to glare at him.

"It's all circumstantial."

"Jade West the boys identified the girl as being the sister of Jay West so if you don't come quietly I'm afraid I will have to use force." She glared at him fiercely, hard enough that their friends and Lane backed away. Mr Vega stood his ground and simply showed her out the door towards his cop car. "You guys can come pick her up later if she's innocent." He left the gang staring and turned back to his mouthy suspect. "Come on missy, the sooner you get there the sooner it's over."

She sneered at him and mumbled something under her breath but cooperated non the less.

When they arrived at the station she was shown into the line up room where she stood between several other "vampire" like girls. All of them had dark hair and several looked to be under the influence of drugs. Jade crossed her arms and huffed, scowling at the mirror window in front of them. Some sort of buzzer went off and the doors unlocked, each girl being shown out one by one until it was just Jade.

Mr Vega came to get her. "Bad news kiddo, you've been recognised." Jade glared. "You have the right to a lawyer and one of your parents will have to be informed." He looked around for any other officers before leaning in towards her. "I'm not supposed to say this but we can't really do anything without a confession. There's no evidence except the witness statements. It's a he-said-she-said kind of thing." Jade nodded in thanks, holding back the insults she wanted to hurl at the snivelling shit bags. She didn't want to further incriminate herself.

Mr Vega left her under the supervision of another officer whilst he went to ring her home. She vehemently expressed that she was fine on her own but considering her previous run ins with the law and the fact that she was still a minor meant she had to stay firmly in the station until someone came to collect her. The kids had decided to drop the charges once Jade informed their parents of the bullying situation but it still left a right mess of paperwork. Jade smirked to herself when she thought of how this could help her reputation.

Finally, finally someone came for her. Jade expected her uncle unfortunately what she got was an over emotional housekeeper. "Jade, there you are. George and I have been so worried." Her cardigan flapped around her and her eyes were crinkled in worry. Stress wrinkles lines her forehead but her body still spoke of a modest youth. Jade tried to hate her, she had her suspicions surrounding her and her uncle.

Mr Vega came to wave her off. "The paperwork is all done. Jade West you are free to go."

"Yeah yeah whatever. Bye David." He chuckled as he watched the harried woman shuffle the troublesome teen out of the door. He raised Trina Vega, nothing Jade said could come close to the hassle he dealt with at home.

In the car Emma drove silently. "Emma, my boyfriend's house is that way." Emma continued to drive towards the West manor home.

"Jade I think now might be a good time to tell you that your father is in hospital." Jade stilled, a cold feeling washing over her.

"What happened?" Emma swallowed the lump in her throat, keeping her eyes fixated on the road ahead.

"The stress got to him. When you left Jay wouldn't stop misbehaving and getting under your father's feet. Laura called, she's having a bit of a crisis and has to fly out to China for a business conference. He's upset that you left, he wishes that you hadn't acted so rashly and I agree. I thought you were a good girl Jade, a bit odd but good. You were getting so much better after your therapy but now I realise it was probably the drugs. He worried so much over all of his children that the stress finally got too much and he's had a stroke."

Everything Emma said was entering Jade's brain in fragments. At first she felt worried for Jay, then scorn over Laura. Then white hot anger spiked at her through Emma's accusations and George's excuses for her leaving the house. She felt a slight bit of anxiety at the mention of her therapy before finally feeling something close to vindictive elation at her uncle's disposition.

"It's really bad Jade, he can't move or speak. Any movement he does do is involuntary but he's still in there, he's still aware and fighting." Jade's joy only grew. A voice she thought she'd long since outgrown whispered at the back of her mind. With her uncle like this she was free to move back into the manor, free to look after Jay and reclaim her inheritance. There's only so long she can live with Beck until it starts to feel too small.

Jade schooled her features into one of despair and sadness. She was nothing if not an actress. Emma glanced at her before refocusing on the road. "I think you should come back Jade. Please, do it for your father." Jade fought to hide her smile, instead making herself pretend to choke up and cry.

"I think you're right Emma. I think I need to be close to family right now." Emma nodded solemnly and patted Jade's hand reassuringly, missing the smirk that curved Jade's lips.

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed this so far. By now you guys know I'm writing Jade and Fallon as the same person but I've also incorporated another one of Liz's roles. Can anyone guess? Anyway be a dear and let me know what you think ;)**


	3. Surprise Daddy

Every hospital seemed to have the same generic smell of antiseptic and bleach. As Jade marched through the intensive care ward she wrinkled her nose up at the cheap air freshener trying to cover the scent of death. It was obvious not everyone survived in this wing of the building, a fact some dark part of her rejoiced in when imagining her uncle in a similar situation.

Emma was hurrying her way through the corridors, spinning past gurneys and nurses in her haste to attend to George. Jade merely rolled her eyes as she followed at a more leisurely pace. The clipped tone of her boots at odds with Emma's shuffling. The wallpaper was peeling and water stained but as they entered the private wards (a Carrington Atlantic plaque on the wall that made her want to hurl) the shabbiness faded into modest cleanliness.

White tiles shone under the slightly brighter fluorescent lights and paintings hung in neat little picture frames on the walls. Large windows overlooking the city allowed the morning light to enter and give the ward a feeling of openness. Even the nurses seemed more steam pressed and professional. It was a luxury that Geroge could afford but in Jade's opinion, didn't deserve.

They finally reached the wooden door of her uncle's room. As they passed the tidy little sign reading George West Jade scratched a mark into the paint with her nails. The chicken wired windows allowed little insight into George's condition and Emma held out a hand to stop Jade. Her face was serious, like she was already mourning his death. She clasped Jade's hands between her own and drew in a shaky breath. "I know you're a strong girl Jade but I need you to know that your father is still fighting and I'm here for you. Your father's condition isn't necessarily permanent and I'm sure he's going to be ok." Internally Jade rolled her eyes but on the outside she pretended to gnaw her lip in worry and thank Emma with sincere eyes.

Emma pushed open the door and painted a smile on her face. "George, look who's here. I brought a special guest with me today."

It was disappointing, his lack of reaction. Not even a twitch. Jade pursed her lips in disapproval, she was an actress it was in her nature to want an expressive audience. George lay pale and weak, his body not really his own anymore. The sheets were crisp and clean, barely any wrinkles showing his clear inhibitions towards movement.

Tears were welling up in Emma's eyes at an uncontrollable rate. She clasped one of George's hands between her own and stared at him with poorly masked adoration. Jade's disdain towards her only grew. She cleared her throat loudly and Emma's head whipped towards her. "Emma, could you be a dear and go get something from the cafeteria. I was hoping for a _family _moment." Emma blinked, slightly stunned.

She seemed to remember her place as she straightened and folded George's hand back over the cover. "Of course. What would you like?" She bobbed her head slightly with a shaky smile. Jade just waved her hand irritably.

"Whatever." She snapped. "I don't care." Emma's brow furrowed before she moved out of the room and pulled her cardigan tighter. Jade checked to make sure she'd disappeared down the corridor before firmly shutting the door and pulling down the blind. They made a satisfying sound as they fell into place and Jade turned sharply on her heel to survey her uncle.

Caution was prominent in his eyes as she slowly sauntered up to the bedside. "Surprise _daddy_. Bet you didn't expect to see me now did you?" The sly smile that curled her lips screamed danger. Her shoes squeaked against the linoleum floor as she tossed her coat on the visitors chair and leant over her uncle's bed.

Her fingers curled around the railings and panic sprang into George's eyes. "So I hear I'm an addict now. That I've gone around the bend." Her figure was bent right over, her face almost touching his in a clear demonstration of power and dominance. "Well daddy, it seems I've gone," she leant in close to his ear, her hot breath fanning across the side of his face, "_crazy_." The word was weighted and heavy, hissed in maliciousness and dripping with damp history.

She drew back, a daring gleam in her eyes. With a sudden speed she clamped his nose shut and held a heavily ringed hand over his mouth. Her chipped black polish greatly contrasted against his sickly skin. She smiled wickedly as alarm radiated off of him. She was suffocating him and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. "Who's in control now?"

She released her hold, and although he appeared to have no outward reaction, she was an expert in micro expressions and recognised the easing of tension as relief settled in. Grinning victoriously Jade moved away, just in time too. Emma walked through the door balancing two coffees and chatting to a doctor whilst a tall blonde followed them both. "Jade!" Jade mentally winced.

"Laura." She was much less enthusiastic but Laura still threw her arms around her. Jade tensed and refused to reciprocate until Laura was forced to let go. Emma smiled wearily and handed Jade a styrofoam cup.

"Is everything ok? George seems distressed." The doctor nodded towards the older man as all three women noticed the tears pricking his eyes.

"I guess it just got a bit emotional, I've only just returned home." Jade hastily covered up. Laura looked confused whilst Emma nodded sympathetically. The doctor offered his condolences before organising the discharge papers.

"He's ready to go home. I can have a full time care nurse settle him in by tomorrow."

"Oh no that's quite all right, I'll be able to manage." Emma waved away the doctors protests and put a hand on George's shoulder. "You hear that George, you'll be coming home."

"Yeah, and Emma there's no need to worry. With Jay out of town and me returning to the house, I can help you with dad. It'll really help our relationship. I'm sure of it." Emma smiled and Laura squeezed Jade affectionately.

"Thank you Jade, I really appreciate that." Jade smirked and George gave an involuntary twitch.

"It's no problem Emma. No problem at all."

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**A/N So everyone who guessed Callie from Killing Daddy was correct but I'm also thinking of a cameo of Gigi from Sexdrugsrockroll. Thanks for the reviews I enjoy reading every single one of them. ;)**


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